DiNapoli Calls for Congressional Oversight Committee

Investigation Into Post Office’s Loss of Pension Checks

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today called on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to investigate and determine the factors which allowed the U.S. Postal Service to misplace tens of thousands of pension checks that the New York State and Local Retirement System mailed to retirees on December 30, 2009. DiNapoli requested the investigation in a letter to the committee’s Chair, Representative Edolphus Towns who represents New York’s 10th Congressional District.

“An independent investigation into the U.S. Postal Service’s gross and irresponsible error is warranted,” DiNapoli said. “I am asking Rep. Towns, as chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to initiate this investigation. My office has received thousands of calls from retirees across the state, some of whom are down to their last $20 because the Postal Service did not deliver their checks. That is unacceptable. Retirees should not have to bear the brutal consequences because the Postal Service failed to do its job.”

As of the end of the day on Monday, about 37,500 pension checks were cashed. DiNapoli’s office received a total of 4,400 re-issue requests to date. Approximately 1,700 such checks were mailed through Tuesday. DiNapoli’s office hopes to mail all re-issued checks by the end of the week. Calls to DiNapoli’s office requesting re-issued checks significantly decreased Monday afternoon.